When motherhood brings the blues

Having a baby is considered to be a life-affirming experience for many, but motherhood can also bring a crippling case of the blues that the Canadian Mental Health estimates affects as many as 20 per cent of women.

Mood swings known as ‘the baby blues’ are common for women after birth, and medical authorities say it usually only lasts for a few days. This irritability and vulnerability can become the all-encompassing sense of despondency known as postpartum depression, characterized by a pervasive sense of sadness, lack of energy, change in appetite, anxiety or a reduced sex drive. The CMHA states that a mother with postpartum depression may fear she is losing her mind or unfit to raise children.

The condition is considered a form of clinical depression among medical professionals, although little is documented about how common the illness really is.

Trevor Haas, a mental heath promotion facilitator with Alberta Health Services, is speaking about the condition this Wednesday at Hinton’s Gateway Community Church. He believes that postpartum depression is underreported due to reluctance among mothers to seek professional help.

“Unfortunately with postpartum some people believe it to be baby blues and figure they’re just going to get over it on their own,” said Haas. “In order to fit into a stat you have to ask for help, and sometimes people either normalize it or overlook it when they need help.”

Susan Smithies, an outreach worker with Hinton WIN (Women and Infant Nutrition), organized the public information event. A retired nurse with 25 years of experience, Smithies recalls the dispirited lack of enthusiasm she saw in some new mothers.

“You just never know, you can be fine with one baby and have postpartum depression after the next,” said Smithies of the illness. “You could sometimes tell before moms left the hospital.”

As is the case with reliable statistics, little is known about the cause of the draining condition. It is commonly believed that hormonal changes play a part, but environmental factors could contribute as well.

“I think it’s a combination of everything; your body is going through adjustments hormonally, emotionally and you have the expectation of ‘Am I going to be a good mom?’,” Haas said.

“I think a lot of women idealize motherhood and what it’s going to do to their relationship,” added Smithies. “If there are other stressors on the relationship, if the father’s not there, if they live in strained circumstances where they are just barely making it and barely putting food on the table and a roof over their head, all of these things can contribute.”

Postpartum depression has been known to last for as long as a year, and Hass said women have been diagnosed up to 12 months after giving birth. According to the CMHA pregnant women who visit the doctor more frequently than the regularly scheduled appointments are more likely to suffer from postpartum.

“A history of any depressive disorders or mood disorders can increase the likelihood, which can also be associated with a chemical imbalance,” said Haas.

Fortunately, measures are in place to treat the depressive illness. While getting scheduled inoculations for their infants, Hinton mothers are asked to take the Edinburgh Postnatal Scale, a standardized questionnaire used to determine if the new parent has postpartum depression. Questions address disturbances in sleep, low energy, apathy, suicidal thoughts, and feelings of guilt.

Smithies has seen guilt persist with young mothers after the postpartum subsides, and in some cases this has long-term affects on the connection with the child. She finds that problems often arise when a mother’s feelings towards her child do not exactly line up with the expectations before birth.

“Guilt is like or meat and potatoes,” Smithies said. “They may have difficulty bonding, and that increases their angst because they’re often aware that they’re having difficulty.”

To lessen the emotional burdens of motherhood, Hass advises fathers to make efforts to better understand the mother’s position. Taking an active role in caring for the child also helps with postpartum depression.

“With lack of understanding we may not respond appropriately to certain situations, and sometimes that can create some tension and stresses,” Haas said, adding that the lack of a supportive community around the mother can also contribute to depression after birth. “Feeling alone, feeling isolated are definitely some of the risk factors to the development of any mental health problem.”

“If there’s any possibility you think you have it, go and talk to somebody and get some help,” emphasized Smithies.

The postpartum depression information session will be held this Wednesday, April 17 at Hinton’s Gateway Community Church (101 Douglas Drive) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information and to RSVP call Smithies at 780-865-2364.